More than 45 million people around the world are living in slavery. That’s according to an Australian human rights group which compiled what it calls the “Global Slavery Index.” And it says two-thirds of those modern day slaves live in the Asia Pacific. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.
The “Walk Free Foundation” estimates more than 18 million people in India are living in what it calls “modern slavery.” That count includes people born into servitude, trapped in bondage because of debt, or involved in forced labor. It also includes those trafficked for sex work.
The foundation says nearly 46 million people around the world are in such conditions—a 30% increase from the group’s estimate in 2014…. mostly because of better data collection. The biggest concentration of slave labor: North Korea…where nearly one in every 20 people is under those dire circumstances.
The logistics of putting together this study were challenging—and because of the nature of the work, they involve a lot of estimates based on imperfect knowledge. The foundation says it used Gallup to conduct interviews with about 42,000 people in 25 countries….in 53 languages. Nearly 60% of those living in modern slavery are in five countries: India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan.
The study’s authors say one factor that makes modern slavery so prevalent in the Asia Pacific region is the emphasis on cheap labor…from fishing boats to garment factories. One common theme: many of those goods are produced for mass-market export to the west.
